Demon fat found to make foods more nutritious

July 2, 1:43 PMNutrition ExaminerCarol Bardelli

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Saturated fats are part of a healthy diet.

Low carbohydrate advocates have long preached the value of fats in our diets. While certain hard core anti-fat experts like Dr. Dean Ornish cry foul, it appears recent studies prove that health promoting vitamins, anti-oxidants, and other compounds found in fruits and vegetables are fat-soluble. This means we need some fat to be consumed with these foods for the body to properly absorb these nutrients.

Studies by Steven Clinton, of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that choosing a fat free salad dressing, or skipping fatty toppings like cheddar cheese, avocado slices, or olives, means you get a lot less nutrients out of salads and side dishes.

Simplified, this means you can take low fat and fat free eating habits too far. If the nutrients don't get into your system, then you don't reap their benefits. Dr. Clinton's "salsa study" fed test subjects a meal of fat free salsa and bread. Later, a similar meal with avocado was fed. The avocado meal raised fat consumption to an extra 37 percent of calories. But the good news was that the blood levels of the test subjects showed they absorbed about 4 times more lycopene and 2.5 times more beta carotene. This is just one example of scientific research reinforcing fats as part of a healthy diet. The key is moderation. You don't need to down a stick of butter with your spinach.

Even saturated fats, demonized by cardiologists and nutritionists who were educated by the now proven faulty Ancel Keyes school of sat fats, have been proven to be vital dietary components. Saturated fats aid our bodies in producing crucial hormones including sex hormones, and performing many other body chemistry.

According to New York Times science writer John Tierny "the medical establishment warned people to avoid all kinds of fat, but subsequent studies kept failing to produce evidence of the benefits of a low-fat diet." And in his epic work "Good Calories, Bad Calories" Gary Taube lays out exactly why the medical world's recommendations for eating a low fat diet are undermined by the research.

Dr. Ancel Keyes started the nonsensical junk science behind the dangers of saturated fats. He conducted a single study, originally dubbed the twenty two country study, in the 1950s. His theory was that the level of saturated fats in a country's citizens' diet would determine the rates of heart disease they suffered. When his theory didn't pan out, he dropped data from sixteen countries from the study results, effectively skewing the results to fit his theory. Two of the sixteen populations he dropped from the study results included research on French and Inuit people. They consume large quantities of fat, and both populations rarely suffered from heart disease. Only six remaining countries showed an upwards curve in incidences of heart disease. He only included these populations his his final results, and never tried to prove or explain why the others showed no relationship between saturated fat consumption and rise in heart disease.

The reasons why the medical community remained highly invested in low fat diets is myriad, and include the US government's insistance that low fat just made since despite a lack of solid proof. Also, the medical world is known to be slow to adopt new views and incorporate new science. For more on the whys behind promoting the low fat myth, read Gary Taube's book, Good Calories, Bad Calories. Also check out The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It by Dr, Malcolm Kendrick, whose groundbreaking study reveals that high cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease, and that diets high in saturated fats do not affect blood cholesterol levels. Another worthwhile read is The Great Cholesterol Con by Anthony Colpo..

If we rely on the latest research, instead of clinging to Ancel Keyes decades old study, we will find ourselves enlightened on fat and its health benefits. Moderate fat intake is beneficial to our health. So relax your grip on those non fat, highly processed high carb cookies and enjoy a crisp salad with a little oil drizzled on top. And don't be afraid to follow that with a juicy sirloin steak. Just remember to follow portion control.

Clip from the documentary "Fat Head." Guess what? Fat and cholesterol don't cause heart disease. The theory was based on bogus science from the very beginning.

The Importance of Saturated Fats for Biological Functions. The scientific evidence, honestly evaluated, does not support the assertion that "artery-clogging" saturated fats cause heart disease.

Is God Stupid? Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Chicken Skin!

For more info: The science often has difficulty finding its way out of the laboratory and into real-world treatments.

For more info: The truth about saturated fats by Mary Enig, PhD, and Sally Fallon